email

Subject: RE: NEXT
Date: Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:33:51 +0000
uh oh, spaghettios! i guess i dont win the daughter of the year award this time around! im sorry dad :( happy belated fathers day, thanks for giving in to mom's begging for a child and thus giving me life. i appreciate it. :)

So i'm in week 4 of the new term, im so glad for these new classes, i had too many "Johnnys" last term! as fun as they are for those first few weeks, it was exhausting during those LAST few. this term i have Dan, who is 13 and cracks me. i dont think he'll be a "johnny" b/c he doesnt step out of line when i do a stern face, tho it rarely gets to that point. dan is super cute and speaks gently, but always with a smile and slightly shaky voice, like he's about to start laughing, so it always makes me laugh too. he's has a strange borderline obsession with toilet things. after i got back from the break two weeks ago, his eyes pop as i catch him writing in huge letters on the blackboard "POO" and "DIARRHEA" and last week, when i got back from the bathroom (there's no toilet paper, so if people see you carrying tissue, they know you're going to the bathroom. dan saw me on my way), when i got back, dan asks me,
"Sister Sha, did you have a poo?"
i reply, "No, dan, i would've been gone a little bit longer had that been the case."
holding in his laughter, dan shakily says, "Maybe it was an easy one."
whole class laughs. including me.

i got a top score on my teacher evaluation last term, actually, for the last two terms, im pretty pleased with myself, AND with the bonus on my paycheck for it! it was a welcome surprise since i've had low paycheckds due to key money. i dont remember if i explained key money to you? when you move into an apartment here,you have to put down a deposit, called "Key money," it's given back to you when you leave the apartment. for my place, the key money is 5thousand USD. When i first arrived in korea, my job paid the key money. when i renewed my contract, they wanted it back... SO... i've had $1,000.000 pulled from my paycheck every month for the last 4 months paying this key money. i got one more month left, and then HURRAY i'll be done and i'll get full paychecks again. i probably didnt tell you b/c i didnt want you to worry, and really there's been nothing to worry about, but LAWD I'M SO EXCITED to soon be getting full pay again!

i got a message from my friend Jude, he didn't get a part in dreamgirls. ah well. he said he was ok with it, it was his very first time doing an audition. i told him to keep me posted for when he lands his first gig, b/c i want to see him perform. im not so sure now that i'll go see dreamgirls here tho, if jude wont be in it.

it's raining a lot here lately. boo. last week it was so sunny and warm and perfect! i walk through the park everyday to get to work, and it was some holiday on monday a couple weeks ago... memorial day in the states, i dont know what it was in korea.... but i was walking through the park, and families were picnicking and flying kites, children were on little race cars and splashing in the fountains! it was so nice, i straight got pissed off that i had to work when everyone else was playing! my mood just went from "oh, look how cute the little children are!" to "how come i gotta work today and everyone else doesnt! grr!!!" then i remember that my life is not at all hard and i can just shut up now. but it was a really really beautiful day for the park that day.

anyways. my love to hector!~daughter

oatmeal

RE: NEXT
From: sha curington (shacurington@hotmail.com)
Sent:Sun 6/15/08 3:35 AM
p.p.s.
please send me instant oatmeal. i like quaker oatmeal, brown sugar. i think there is one that is "low sugar" or "low sodium" or "weight control" and/but i will happily, gratefully take anything you send me. btw, i have found oatmeal here at costco (the big box for $26 i think) and slimfast at costco (one can for $20) but none of the stores are in my part of town and i am lazy to do the one hour ride on the subway. i know how much you love to send me things, so, ya know! :)

email

Subject: talkin, schmalkin
Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:04:52 +
dear mom and dad,

im enjoying a day off with my magazines and sipping on tea with splenda, thanks to you :)

my computer is still working, so i am writing an email. i met this brotha.. actually, he's not a "brotha" per say, his name is Ed and he's white, but he's from kentucky and talks a little bit like dad, so i still want to refer to him as family; anyway, this brotha Ed is in the military and knows all about computers, he's the one who fixed my computer. and actually, later in the day, fixed my friend Zhaleh's computer too! my gosh, it' so nice to meet nice people. it's so nice to meet computer people who are willing to help, im at a loss without brother dave around. i didnt do anything for ed but say thank you, but zhaleh cooked for him, which was nice b/c she's an incredible cook.

on tv just now were some highlights of a bboy competition that i actually went to a couple weeks ago with two friends. it took a while for us to get there: it was in suwon, which is almost an hour away on the subway, and then the taxi took us to suwon world cup stadium, instead of suwon sports complex... or something... i dont know. it's always a gamble when i go somewhere, not speaking any korean. after wandering around the wrong stadium for a while, we figured out the proper name of the place we were supposed to be, and dara wrote it out IN KOREAN to give to the cab driver, and then no problems!

now, i do my best to not hate on anything korean b/c i but a guest here, but oh wow, i'd seen better dancing back home. maybe i dont know as much about a bboy competition as i think i do. maybe i just think san diego bboys reign supreme. maybe it was just the vibe? maybe i was bitter, thinking there'd be some black people there, b/c it was only me and the two homegirls i was with representing there.teams from many places came to dance: south africa, russia, brazil... i remember south africa and brazil most b/c they were the only teams with black people. and the music was music for competition, i heard but little tiny snippets of hip hop music. but it was still a good time, me and my homegirls got to be on the teleprompter for a split second, lip syncing and yelling that we loved "gyeonggi-do" (the area of town we were in), and afterwards we went out and got some kyochon chicken. what a practically perfect day!~daughter.

email

Subject: RE: That's It
Date: Tue, 10 Jun 2008 19:23:37
dear mom and dad,

today i got a knock on the door from the delivery man, and he had a package for me! you guys dont know how much i appreciate it, it's the only mail i get and i feel so loved!!! thank you for the vitamins, slimfast, fiber pills, tampons, mail, newspapers and plastic bags galore!

i got a message from jude, the boy my friends and i met on the subway auditioning for dreamgirls. he passed the first two auditions, and had a third audition for dancing next. again, he's auditioning for the part of Jimmy Early, played by eddie murphy in the movie version. if he gets the part, then i'll really need to see what the korean version of dreamgirls is going to be like. i saw vagina monologues while it was here a few months ago, only b/c my friend Zhaleh was in it. it was pretty ok, and it was in korean AND english, so i could at least understand half of it. i wonder if dreamgirls will hve the songs in english? i guess we will see.

we're in week 3 of my 5th term here at the school. i love these new classes, ive got uber geniuses, they're so great, and so cute. i give stickers a lot in class for motivation, even more so now taht the school doesnt give prizes for good grades anymore. tho i think i need to lay off, b/c last week i was pulling out stickers, giving them out every time someone gave me a correct answer, and little Liz looked at my sticker collection and said to me, "What else you got?" my head jerked back so hard! i done spoiled them, these kids are getting greedy! :) nah, it was cool, liz is in one of my best classes and they get stickers all the time b/c those kids really strive to learn.

i still speak NO korean at all, i only made it to the korean class one time. *blush* BUT the new director at my job has arranged for korean classes to be at our office, so im very excited, and i really will go this time! fo real! really!!! they start tomorrow and im going!

and of course, a story about one of the students to finish my email:referring to my curly hair on monday, one little boy said to me, "teacher, your hair looks so delicious b/c it looks like ramen."

email

Subject: RE:
Date Tues, 27 May 2008 06:53:55
dear mom and dad,

thanks for the last care package! the charger bag you'd sent a while back, i put that up on the wall by my door, so people know the daughter of a charger fan lives here, representing that hometown pride. this is what i would reply when i would wear the charger scarf you sent me for winter, coworkers would say, "WHAT? Chargers???!!!" and i would say, "my dad says you got to have hometown pride." nuff said. oh, please send me multivitamins, and fiber pills i could buy them here, but i know how you guys like to do things for me.

i dont need any more socks, thanks for the pairs you sent with the shoes. i gave the last pair of socks to my friend neesa who is super cool and six feet tall, so those impossibly big long socks you sent me last time were a good match for her, my friend thanks you.

my friend keena just left korea, im sad! but i guess that's the nature of the life for foreigners here in korea, people are here for a little while, and then they leave. we had 4 people leave my job last week, and now with the new term came 7 new teachers. actually, i think now that there are only two other teachers that have been there longer than i have.

before she left, keena went with me to see evil dead, the musical, since no one wanted to go with me. actually a couple people came out last minute, admitting they were evil dead fans too, so a group of 5 of us went. it was quite fun! when i went online to buy tickets online, it was all in korean, so i had a coworker help me. now when i was on the website, the speakers blared songs from the play, and all was in english! tho i knew the play would be in korea, i thought "Ok, maybe the songs are in english" and NOPE the songs were in korean too! ah well, i still had fun and understood the bulk of what was going on, even if i didnt understand what they were actually saying/singing. the actors came out into the audience and splattered blood on everybody, it was so much fun. i didnt get the "blood splatter seats" b/c they cost extra, and it was pulling teeth to get friends to go with me in the first place. Dreamgrils is coming to korea next year, i saw a poster... currently auditioning, but all korean. hmm... not sure how that's going to work out. unsure if i'll go see that one.

And wow, small world, last week while on the subway w/some of the seoul family, this cute korean boy came up and started talking to us (it seems when im with friends, people are more bold to say hello. like seeing 5 black people at once is more exciting and summons more need in koreans to say hello than if im alone?) anyway, this guy told us he was auditioning for the part of Jimmy Early in dream girls. we wished him the best of luck.

we started a new term this week, so i have all new classes. i walk around the halls, and former students run up yelling, "Sister Sha! Hello!!" it's super cute. im glad for a new batch of kids, tho, this last term felt so long. i had that ONE class, that one where i just couldnt get them under control, and everyday was just full of endless punishments that seemed to have no effect at all. i feared i was losing my touch. well, new kids now, let's see if i can get it back.
the weather is warm/humid everyday. i welcome the summer, fo real.
~daughter.

email

Subject: Keeping Up Your End
Date: Fri, 16 May 2008 10:43:21 -0700

Sha, There are no excuses; you have a computer at home so your mom should be getting a letter/note this week end, no mater how short, she is starting to work herself up about you, she thinks there is something wrong, she thinks you are sad, and that is the reason you have not written, all I can say is that if you can play dominoes, then you can write. I only expect to hear from you when and if you get a package from me, no problem because if you do not let me know that you got the package(s), I will stop sending, end of discussion. As all ways mom, hector, and my self want you to take care of your self .Love Ya! Dad

===================
Subject: RE: Keeping Up Your End
Date: Sun, 18 May 2008 14:59:19

ah mom and dad, little do you know that i DO have an excuse! i got PLENTY of them!!! :)

actually my computer monitor isnt working properly, all these squiggly pink lines come up every where, it's the strangest thing! my poor eyes strain from trying to read the screen! i will work on buying a new monitor. in the meanwhile, you know i dont like to use the computer at work for personal things. so now im back at the internet cafe, but you know how i hate the smoking in here, so i had to wait for a certain day/time when it's less smokers and more children, hence my waiting until the weekend to write you. so really, instead of these annoyed, chastising emails, you should be thanking me for being such a good daughter struggling to find the time to write.

so anyway... the lotus lantern festival was here a couple weeks ago, me and some sistas went but running so late that we didnt get there until after 8pm, so we missed just about everything. we caught about 10 min of one parade. i dont know what it is, im just never in a hurry, tho i was a little annoyed w/myself for missing the lantern making workshop. it was pretty cool, lots of floats built of paper (guess it was paper?) lit from the inside. lots of people marching dressed in traditional korean clothes, lots of pretty lotus lanterns, traditional drumming and dancing, it was lovely!

i visited the bongeunsa temple not too long before the festival, it was lovely also, tons of extra lights because of the coming festival. i didnt get to go inside the temple, tho, b/c it was so late at night, and the guard shoo'ed me away. *sigh* one of these days, im going to get my stuff together.

i got the box with the magazines, deodorant, soap, robe, cloth, cd, etc, and thank you so much! but for the record, i have so much soap and deodorant right now, im set for the next millennium. could i ask that you send me slim fast? a couple canisters? anything chocolate flavor? b/c... well, you know.

i like the "new african" magazine. i was lost reading most of it since my political knowledge is embarrassingly little, but im glad for the magazine and hope to learn much from it. thanks for thinking of me!

so in summation, besides saying thank you, i love you, i miss you, etc:

i dont need anymore:

• body wash
• soap of any kind
• deodorant
• splenda
• dental floss

email

Subject: shoes, baseball game
Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 15:36:49
dear mom and dad,

so as i briefly mentioned before, i got both pair of sneakers!

a few weeks ago, as i was leaving for work, the elder man that sits at the front desk waved wildly at me, yelling something in korean. he always pretends to be mad at me when he has to tell me something.

turned out a box came, with my shoes!!!! i went right back up to my apt and changed, oh it was like walking on cotton balls!!!!! thank you so much! then lo and behold, a week later, the OTHER box came!!! these shoes are magic, i swear, i can be on my feet all day and be straight. a good thing, actually, b/c i got a critique about sitting too much while teaching, so it's a good thing i got these sneakers, to keep my lazy butt up and out of the chair.

i went to a baseball game w/the sistas a couple weeks ago, i didnt take pictures of course but my friend did, you can look at them here:

the game was so much fun! er actually, being in the audience was fun, b/c i didnt watch the game at all. there was a guy... what would you call him? he stands in front of the crowd and leads us in chants and cheers, we banged the hell out of our red balloons to distract the opposing team at bat, we did cool arm movements, it was great!

ALSO great is this damn pediegg you sent me. omg, what did me and my feet ever do without it???? i just used it for the first time yesterday and WOW, i never knew my cute feet could be any cuter, which they surely are now that i have the perfect pumicing tool :) My friends are jealous.

~Appreciative Daughter